Scomparsa
Scomparsa is the name of the large continent south across the ocean from the Five Kingdoms. There are no countries or provinces here - the land is divided into jungle, farmland (where rice, mangoes, bananas etc. are grown) and the warm grasslands along the northern coast. The only city is Lema'na (commonly referred to as simply "the city", being that there is only one) but there are also numerous tribal communities in the jungle, where the Baki people live. Culture and People The Scomparsans are dark-skinned and generally taller than their Northern cousins; some, including many who live in the city, have more coppery skin and angular eyes, while the southern Baki are much darker. Those who live in the city have skin that can range anywhere from coffee brown to bronze. Their language is similar to Northerntongue but has some variations, and is often difficult to understand in the ears of a Northerner. When picturing the Scomparsans and their culture, one may hold a mixed image of African and the ancient Aztec culture in their mind (although I understand I'm breaking the fourth wall by saying that.) The first civilization to appear in the world was, history suggests, the ancient Kanara of Scomparsa; they built fantastic cities and towers, which have by this date mostly sunken back and disappeared into the earth—and after them, Scomparsa became home to two specific races of people, slightly different from each other but speaking the same language: these were the Allorans and the Baki. The Allorans populated the northern part of the continent, away from the sweeping jungle that covers most of the land, while the Baki settled right in the midst of it, and learned to be hunters of incredible cunning and skill. The Allorans were grander and built majestic cities after the fashion of the ancient, mostly-forgotten Kanara—and their most stupendous work, the City (known as Lema’na technically, but referred to commonly as just “the city”) stands proudly to this day, and is continually being rebuilt and extended. It is now probably the biggest city in the world by population, even surpassing the some hundred thousand people that live in Joshia’s capital of Douvris. The Allorans, (known as city-people by the Baki, and all other intelligent races of Scomparsa), have a system of government very unlike the rest of the known world. While the kingdoms of the North are either democratic or, in the case of ancient Blackmoor, communist, the City of Scomparsa and its surrounding lands has always been ruled by dictatorship, as the Emperor holds absolute power. Little is known about the Emperor, but his history is dark, and he has ruled his lands with a firm hold that borders sometimes on cruelty. The Baki, meanwhile, usually have only one elected leader, that is, the chief of the hunters; or sometimes the eldest of the village is selected. (The Baki only have a few villages scattered in one general area of the jungle, but they are close enough together to be generally taken care of by one, or a few, leaders.) Their system is much more democratic, although they have no real laws—which they don’t seem to need, as they’re one of the most peaceful people in the world, and only fight with demons and monsters, and never among themselves or with other people. LEMA'NA This is the only known settlement of more than 500 people on the continent, and has stood for nearly three thousand years, surviving numerous wars and epidemics. It is estimated that up to a million people may live here, nearly all of them for their entire lives. The city is walled, and divided generally into three areas - the Palace, the Palace District, and the slums. The vast majority of the population lives in the slums, in squalor.